Product Description

Win the Race Across a Growing Maze... Replace tiles to create paths for your runners and send them in a punctuated journey across the board. Place your pieces, plan your paths and race to the finish! Fascinating and fun for the family.

Product Reviews

This is a fun variation of Chinese Checkers, similar to Tsuro, or even the old children's
classic, Snakes and Ladders. You lay octagonal tiles to continue a path that helps you
snake your pieces from one side of the board to the opposite side.

The components are first class. Real wooden tiles are used, with a wooden base and
wooden pegs as playing pieces. My edition smelled slightly of varnish when I opened the
box, so you might need to air it out.

This is an excellent 2 player game, but up to 4 can play. I've only played with two and it's
very enjoyable, with high replay value.

We kept wanting to add one house rule: "You can either play the spare tile on your turn,
or simply use the existing board as-is and pass the spare tile to the next player, unused."

Octiles is a superb and deep thinking abstract game that requires careful planning and thinking ahead several moves. Because each move changes the pathways pieces can take to their goal across the board, each move has consequences that can last many turns into the future. Though the opening moves can be a bit random, the mid-game is tense as players try to open efficient paths across the board for their pieces. The best games are often decided at this stage, with one player winning while the other falls behind. In evenly matched two-player games things can bog down though as both players have a narrow range of options and a clear set of moves they want to avoid allowing for their opponent. As a result, such games can often come down to luck -- not of the draw, but of the tile that one is forced to replace (and thus hand over to the opponent).

I discovered this game in the past year. An excellent abstract logic game. I do wish the tiles were easier to pick up and place, without knocking over 'pawns' on the board. With magnets maybe? But, that would probably drive up the cost. As is, the quality board is worth the price just as a center piece alone.

This is one of the best games in our collection. The equipment alone is masterful - wooden board, wooden tiles, painted wooden playing pieces. And the game itself delivers too. Move your men to the other side of the board before your opponent gets to your side. Simple enough, until at each turn the maze of paths to get there changes as you place tiles. We have a blast with this game when it's just the two of us, and we've enjoyed it with company as well.

Octiles is an abstract game that has a good blend of luck and strategy. The game takes only a few minutes to learn, but takes far longer to master. The game has beautifully crafted wooden components, and the box is thicker and more durable than most games.

The game involves creating paths from your start points to your goals by placing octagonal tiles. Each tile has different twists and turns, and the game board changes throughout the game. You have to be careful where you place tiles, because placing a tile that makes the perfect path for you may also make the perfect path for your opponent! If you like games like Streetcar (A.K.A. Linie 1), Ta Y and The aMAZEing Labyrinth, you will most likely enjoy Octiles.

One of my favorite things about Octiles is that you can easily adjust the length of the game by simply playing with fewer pieces. That way it can be played as a quick filler, or a full length game.

Another great thing about Octiles, and many other OTB games, is that you get multiple games in one. In fact, many OTB games can even be played solitaire. Check out all the Octiles variations at http://www.otb-games.com/octiles/variations.html.

If you like abstract games, Octiles would be a perfect addition to your game collection.

Octiles is a nice little coffee table game. I use that term to refer to games that appear elegant enough to qualify a a nice addition to your coffee table, like a nice chess set. It is also a darned good little game that plays, as the prior review statres, like a crazed version of chinese checkers.

This is not a game like chess in which luck plays no part. Rather, there is luck in turning up useful tiles or, more accurately, tiles that are useless for your opponent. Each player takes the face-up tile in the tile slot and swaps it for a tile on the board, then moves a piece along a path to a new site, with at least part of that path being on the tile just laid. First player to get their pieces into the home spaces on the opposite side of the board is the winner.

The game includes some nice variations on this, with a slew of puzzles and even different games using the same components. My one quibble is that the pieces can be somewhat hard to pick up and replace on the board. The pieces are nice and heavy wood, with a good chunky heft to them, but they fit together so closely that it can be hard to pick up a tile without knocking some of the pieces off the board.

If you like astract games, this one is definitely a keeper. If you prefer more thematic offerings, then Octiles is not for you. Recommended.

Some people don't like abstracts, which is fine. But if you do, this is a good one. You try to get your pieces across a board made up of octagonal tiles that have different paths on them. You must replace a path tile every turn and move a piece. The real fun starts when you can start building huge, curly paths to move your pieces almost across the board in one or two moves. Attractive pieces and good anticipation of the 'home run' path also help make this worthwhile. I've only played once, but I definitely recommend it.

John McCallion
(Games Magazine)

December 31, 2003

Octiles first appeared in The Games 100 way back in 1985, when it was initially launched by Kadon Enterprises. We applaud Kadon's generosity for releasing this less expensive edition.

Each octagonal tile shows four curves, each forming a path between two sides. Seventeen tiles begin facedown on the board's spaces, while one begins faceup in reserve. Five pawns in your color sit on your side of the board. Where octagons meet are squares on which your pawns may land. Each turn, exchange the reserve tile with one (faceup or facedown) on the board. Then move a pawn on connected paths, so as to include the replacement octagon, until it reaches a square or an opponent's starting space opposite yours. Win when all five pawns reach opposing starting spaces.

This latest gorgeous edition of an irresistible favorite can now be enjoyed by gamers everywhere!

Other Resources for Octiles:

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